Rafah crossing opens for 3 days

Egypt opens Rafah crossing for three days every month or two to allow movement of what is described as humanitarian cases. — Courtesy photo

CAIRO — Rafah crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt opened on Wednesday for three days to allow travel for humanitarian cases, the Palestinian Embassy in Egypt announced on Wednesday.

Palestine’s Ambassador to Cairo and its permanent delegate to the Arab League, Diab Al-Louh, said the Egyptian authorities informed them of the opening of the crossing for three days to allow for Palestinians stuck in Gaza or outside it to travel to and from the besieged enclave.

Egypt opens the crossing for three days every month or two to allow movement of what is described as humanitarian cases, including students studying abroad, people with work permit and residency in other countries, mainly the Gulf states, and patients with severe medical cases seeking treatment outside the Gaza Strip.

The crossing was supposed to open continuously once the Palestinian Authority assumes full control of the Gaza Strip, currently under Hamas rule, as part of reconciliation process between the ruling Fatah movement and Hamas. However, failure to fully implement the reconciliation agreement signed between them in October as well as the unstable security situation in the Sinai desert has delayed the full opening of the crossing. — Courtesy WAFA